It is a time of fear in the face of freedom, a time of an emptying country and swelling cities, a time for the widening of previous roads and the opening of new paths, yet a time when these paths are mined by knowing algorithms of the all-seeing eye. It is the time of the warrior's peace and the miser's charity, when the planting of a seed is an act of conscientious objection. These are the times when maps fade, old landmarks crumble and direction is lost. Forwards is backwards now, so we glance sideways at the strange lands through which we are all passing, knowing for certain only that our destination has disappeared. We are unready to meet these times, but we proceed nonetheless, adapting as we wander, reshaping the Earth with every tread. Behind us we have left the old times, the standard times, the high times. Welcome to the irregular times.

Jack Conway Shows Why Democrats Are Losing Seats

Unless something wildly unexpected takes place in the next week and a half, the Democratic Party is going to lose a large number of seats in both the U.S. House and Senate. That’s happening not because Americans support the Republican agenda. Polls consistently show that Americans disapprove of the Republican Party just about as much as they disapprove of the Democratic Party.

The reason that the Democratic Party is having such a hard time is that it has failed to differentiate itself from the Republican Party. Too many Democratic politicians support the same rotten political ideas that brought the Republican Party down in 2008.

Jack Conway, Democratic senate candidate from Kentucky, is a leading example of what’s gone wrong with the Democratic Party. Desperate to gain a lead over his opponent, Rand Paul, Conway has created a television advertisement with the following message:

“Why was Rand Paul a member of a secret society that called the Holy Bible a hoax and was banned for mocking Christianity and Christ? Why did Rand Paul once tie a woman up, tell her to bow down before a false idol and say his god was Aqua Buddha? Why does Rand Paul now want to end all federal faith-based initiatives, and even end the deduction for religious charities? Why are there so many questions about Rand Paul?”

The message of this campaign commercial is clear: Rand Paul should not be elected to the Senate because he’s not really a Christian. Conway’s implication: Anyone who questions Christianity isn’t qualified to serve in Congress.

Rand Paul isn’t just a victim of religious bigotry, of course. Paul himself has suggested that there ought to be Islam-free zones in the United States, to show sensitivity to the feelings of Christians.

Rand Paul and Jack Conway are in a battle to demonstrate to Kentucky voters who can show the most disrespect to the Constitution’s requirements of freedom of religion and separation of church and state. The Democrat in such a situation ought to be the one to take a step back and speak up for the idea that whatever a person believes or does not believe about religion, it’s a private matter. Religious belief or disbelief shouldn’t have any impact on a person’s right to stand as an equal to every other citizen in the United States.

Jack Conway doesn’t support those ideals, though. He’d rather descend into the hateful use of religion as a political tool to divide Americans. He cares more about his own political career than he does about religious freedom.

It’s sad, but Jack Conway is far from alone among democratic politicians. Large numbers of Democratic candidates are adopting harsh right wing ideology in an attempt to beat Republicans at their own game.

It’s a stupid strategy. Americans who don’t respect liberty already have a political party – the Republicans. On the other hand, Americans who do respect the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution don’t have much of a choice anymore. They look at Democrats like Jack Conway and rightly wonder why they should bother to rally to the defense of the Democratic Party in this year’s elections.

You say, “Paul himself has suggested that there ought to be Islam-free zones in the United States, to show sensitivity to the feelings of Christians.”

Bullshit.

Rand Paul has run an entirely clean campaign, and Conway hasn’t. This is as if McCain had demanded that Obama respond to ‘fundamental questions’ of his birth certificate, religion, and the Larry Sinclair (I think that’s the name) rumors, and ran ads spinning the allegations in their worst possible light.

Conway is simply disgusting that way. Rand Paul just happens to be the target.

JKR, are you denying that Rand Paul has said that there ought to be places in the United States where mosques can’t be built, and that Rand Paul has said that even a Muslim community center needs to be moved to suit Christian feelings?

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